The way in which service providers interface with customers has evolved in recent years from the traditional face-to-face meetings, telephone contacts, and communications received by fax and mail, to now include contacts through global computer information networks, such as the Internet or World Wide Web, either through e-mail or through direct customer access of a service provider's website. In some fields of business, for example in the financial services industry, secure website access allows customers to review their portfolios of investments, track historical and day-to-day investment performance, and research potential new investment opportunities, as well as make changes to their investment holdings or customer information profiles via the website. Nonetheless, customers still frequently need to communicate with customer service providers by more traditional routes, most often by telephone or mail. Customers used to the responsiveness of secure website access may expect at least the same level of responsiveness from telephone call-center customer service representatives (CSRs), who need to be able to access information quickly about the customer on the other end of the line.
It can therefore be a disadvantage if a CSR, while on the telephone with the customer, is forced to rely on “legacy” information systems that pre-date the secure web interface used by the caller, particularly if the CSR cannot quickly find the answer required by the customer. Also, where a customer requests information about navigation of the secure website, the CSR is at a disadvantage if the representative is viewing information in a different format and/or using a system having different functionality, yet has to provide navigation guidance based upon memory of the external user interface. Additionally, CSRs frequently need to access more information than what is available to the customer through the website interface. Furthermore, maintaining multiple systems for performing the same tasks—one for use by CSRs and one for use by customers—is more expensive than maintaining a single system.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved customer service user interface that enhances the ability of a telephone-based CSR to service a customer who also has website access to customer information. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a single customer service user interface that is usable by both call-center CSRs and mail-handling CSRs. Still further, it is desirable to provide an improved user interface without having to abandon pre-existing legacy information systems.